Conveyer for unloading articles from aircraft



- 1. M. REAY. CONVEYER FOR UNLOADING ARTICLES FROM AIRCRAFT- APPLICATION FILED FEB. 19,4921.

1,3 0,593 PatentedJuneZlQQlL IN V EN TOR.

THE 1:;

JACK M. REAY', OF BLAQKFOOT, IDAHO.v

"Application filed'February 19, 1921.

T all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JACK M. REAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Blackfoot, in the county of Bingham and State of Idaho, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Conveyers for Unloading Articles from Aircraft, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings;

This invention relates to means whereby articles, such as letters, small packages, and the like may be dropped from aeroplanes. The general object of the invention is to provide a device of this kind so constructed that it may be dropped intoany small body of water and that it will rise to the surface of the water and float thereon until retrieved. V

A further object is to so construct a device of this character that the conveyer will dive but a relatively short distance into the water and will immediately rise to the surface,'thus preventing any chance of the conveyer diving and sticking in the mud at the bottom of the sheet of water or striking the bottom so as to injure its contents.'

And a further object is to provide a con struction of this character which is very simple, which will drop vertically downward, and which is thoroughly practical for the purpose intended.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is an elevation of a conveyer for aeroplanes constructed in accordance with 'my invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof;

Fig. 8 is a rear end elevation;

Fig. 4 is a front end elevation; Fig. 5 is a section looking toward the front of the conveyer on the line 55. of

Fig. 2.

Referring to these drawings, 10 designates a cylinder of aluminum or other relatively light metal, one end of the cylinder Ibeing pointed and the opposite end of the cylinder being open and internally screwthreaded, as at 11, for engagement with a screw -threaded 'cap 12. This cap, when screwed home, has water-tight engagement with the end of the cylinder. The pointed end of the cylinder is approximately wedgeshaped, that is it has two plane surfaces 13 and 14. The plane surface 13 is longer than the plane surface 14. Thus these plane surfaces 13 and 14-. intersect each other, not on Specification of Letters Patent; Patented J 11118 7, 1921.

Serial No. 446,370.

the axial line of the conveyer, but to one side of this axial line or plane.

Extending longitudinally along the cylinder are a plurality of strengthening flanges or ribs 15, these ribs extending across the pointed end of the cylinder and intersecting at the intersection of the two plane faces. At the rear 01' butt end of the cylinder there are provided aplurality of radially extending wings 16. These wings may be of any suitable construction which will cause the conveyer to drop straight downward, that is prevent the conveyer from turning over and over as it falls. At the forward end of the conveyer there is provided the transversely extending partition 17 which forms the rear wall of an air space 18 at the forward end of the conveyer.

This conveyer is intended to permit mail matter, small packages or like articles to be dropped from an aeroplane in flight or from an airship of any character, or balloon. The conveyer is intended to be dropped into any small sheet of water, such as a small pond, lake or river, and it has been found in actual practice that when the conveyer is dropped it will dive under .wa-

ter a relatively short distance and immediately rise'to the surface, where it may be salvaged and its contents removed. The reason why the conveyer will dive but a short distance beneath the water is because of'the non-uniform inclined faces 13 and 14 which unequally impede the forward movement of the conveyer so that it tends to turn under the water and rise very quickly, the impetus given to the conveyor acting to force it up to the surface of the water because of the unequal faces 13 and 14. This tendencyto rise is also, of course, increased by the buoyant air chamber 18 formed in the forward portion ofthe conveyer. The wings'16, as before remarked, hold the conveyer steady as it is dropped and cause it to drop point foremost.

For ordinary use, the conveyer will have a length of approximately 20 and will be approximately 4" in diameter. Obviously the conveyer may be of any suitable dimensions-however. Four-angle irons are used to form the flanges 15, these angle irons or flanges being disposed equi-distantly apart. In actual practice it has been found that this conveyer will dive about 2 under water and immediately rise to the surface. One of the wings 16 is directly beneath inder, that is at right angles to the surface 14, and acts as a rudder after the cylinder has come to the surface.

It will be noticed that the entire interior of the tube forming the body of this conveyer is hollow and that the walls are relatively thin so that the greatest amount of carrying space possible is provided for holding articles and maintaining the buoyancy of the conveyer. It will be seen that the conveyer requires no landing bed of any kind and that it is only necessary that the conveyer shall be discharged above a small body of water. The device permits an aircraft to drop the mail over a small town, village or the like without stopping, thus avoiding the landing of the craft, which is expensive and requires valuable time.

They may also be used in time of war for conveying messages by means of aeroplane and, provided that the conveyer is of sufiicient size, they could be used as a means for landing spies within enemy territory. A

conveyer of this kind dropped from an aeroplane to a body of water wouldbe considered to be merely a dud shell or torpedo.

1t, obviously, is not necessary to drop the conveyer point downward from an aircraft and it could be carried in ordinary slings attached to the bottom of the aeroplane and these slings released when it was desired to discharge the conveyer. The matter contained within the conveyer would naturally tend to gravitatetoward the lower end thereof and the conveyer would naturally tend to dip with its pointed end downward by reason of the-wings projectingfrom the rear end of the conveyer.

I claim:

1. A conveyer for unloading articles from aircraft comprising a hollow body pointed at one end and having radially projecting wings at its opposite end, the butt end of the body beingjopen, and a lid'having watertight engagement with the butt end of the conveyer, the forward end of the conveyer having oppositely beveled faces, one longer than the other, whereby to cause the conveyer to rise quickly after striking the water. 2. A conveyer of the character described comprising a hollow, tubular body pointed at one end and having longitudinally extending flanges and at its rear end being provided with outwardly projecting wings, the rear endof the body being'open, a cap having water-tight engagement with the open end of the conveyer, the forward end of the conveyer being formed to provide two angularly disposed plane faces, one of said faces being longer than the other face.

3. A conveyer of the character" described comprising a hollow, tubular body pointed at one end and having longitudinally extending flanges and at its'rear end being provided with outwardly projecting wings,

the rear end of the body being open, a cap having water-tight engagement with the open end of the conveyer, the forward end of the conveyer being formed to provide two angularly disposed plane faces, one of said faces being longer than the other face, the

longitudinally extending ribs on the body of the conveyer being formed to provide two angularly disposed plane faces, one of said faces being longer than the other face, the longitudinally extending ribs on the body extending across said angularly disposed faces at the point of the conveyer, the fori ward end of the conveyer having a partition defining an air space at the forward extremity of the conveyer.

5. A conveyer for unloading articles from aircraft comprising a hollow body open 'at one end, the body adjacent its opposite end having a transverse partition to provide an air space forward of the partition,a lid having water-tight engagement with the butt end of the conveyer, and means on the body i for causing the body to drop straight clownward without end over end movement.

6. A conveyer for unloading articles from aircraft comprising a hollow body open at one end, the body adjacent its'opposite end having a transverse partition to provide an air space forward of the partition, a lid having water-tight engagement with the butt end of the conveyer, the forward end of the conveyor being formed to provideopp'ositely inclined surfaces, one surface being longer than the other whereby to cause the conveyer to rise quickly after striking Qa body of water.

7 A conveyer for unloading articles from 1 aircraft comprlslng a hollow body open at one end,-the body adjacent its opposite end having a transverse partition to provide an air space forward of the partition, a lid hiaving watertight engagement with; the butt end of the conveyer, the forward end of the conveyer being formed to provide oppositely inclined surfaces,- onesurfacebeing longer than the other whereby' to cause the conveyer to rise quickly'after striking a 5;;

body of water, the rear end of the conveyer being provided with outwardly projecting wings. i

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature. Y

' JACK M REAY.) 

